WSU Football recap: Missed opportunity in L.A.; keys to beating Utah

The Cougs dropped a heartbreaker against USC on Friday night, losing 39-36 in a game where they looked like the better team for about two thirds of the game. Unfortunately, WSU’s first conference opponent exposed some problems the team will need to address after subpar games from the defensive backs & defensive line, questionable clock management, and some tough calls from the ref crew.

We give some love to Easop Winston for his huge game, hauling in 6 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns, showing that if you try to take one weapon away from the Cougars, it will leave another talented player open to make big plays. We also give Max Borghi some credit for playing like a grown-ass man as a true freshman.

We also address the targeting no-call on Gardner Minshew that would’ve given the Cougs a first down and the ball on USC’s 12 yard line. The call didn’t cost them the game directly, but it was an egregious miss for a sport that’s trying to improve player safety and eliminate shots to the head. We also debate whether the Pac-12 should suspend the perpetrator of the hit, Porter Gustin, now that he’s targeted players two weeks in a row.

In what we learned, we discuss how the Cougs look like they can hang with anyone in the conference, the struggles of the D-line, and how WSU’s quality of athlete compares to other teams in the conference.

Since we recorded on Saturday, we don’t have much of an around the Pac-12 segment. We started recording at the beginning of the Oregon and Stanford game, and I will say we did not guess the outcome of that one correctly!

Our question of the week in this episode’s commentary is a simple one: Is Gardner Minshew the best quarterback in the Pac-12? We take a look at the other competitors and arrive at the same conclusion–was it our boy Uncle Rico? You’ll have to listen to find out!

In the last segment, we look ahead to homecoming weekend and what the Cougs need to do to beat Utah. Utah has a great defense, but almost no offense to speak of, so it will be an interesting match-up. Brett explains why he thinks Utah looks like UW & Stanford’s little brother wearing their hand-me-down clothes and smoking cigs to look older.

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